Chelsea are reportedly interested in Alessio Romagnoli and could swoop in to land AC Milan star Alessio Romagnoli, who is a Manchester United target.
The Sun suggest the entry of another club in the race to sign Alessio Romagnoli. The AC Milan defender is already on the radar of Manchester United. But, the report states that Maurizio Sarri is looking to strengthen his backline and Chelsea could surprise United by moving in for the Italian in January.
Alessio Romagnoli is a part of the new wave of young gems that have managed to carve out a place for themselves at AC Milan and Serie A. Brought in by AC Milan from AS Roma in the summer of 2015, Romagnoli soon established himself as a regular at the back for the Rossoneri.
The 23-year-old navigated through a tough period for AC Milan and even forged a blossoming partnership with Leonardo Bonucci in the 2017-18 campaign before the Italian’s return to Juventus in the summer. Romagnoli’s performances have seen him attract attention from the Premier League, with Chelsea and Manchester United interested.
Manchester United are in the midst of a crisis. 8th in the league, with 14 goals conceded to date, Jose Mourinho has lamented the fact that United chose not to equip him with a quality centre-back, one who is capable of playing out from the back, in the summer.
While Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire might remain targets for the club, Jose Mourinho has seemingly drawn a new list of targets for January, should the Board back him in the transfer market. The question over Romagnoli though, is the same as in the case of Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof.
Both were signed under Jose Mourinho as potential solutions at the back. But, the duo have been unable to impress, with the idea that Jose Mourinho wants a leader and an experienced head in central defence. Romagnoli could fall under the same bracket, if things do not go his way once he joins Manchester United.
Maurizio Sarri though, might scupper United’s transfer plans. The Italian manager wants to add to his backline, with Gary Cahill likely to depart in January while Andreas Christensen has already iterated his desire to leave the club if his situation within the first-team does not improve within the coming months, thus potentially thinning the options at Sarri’s disposal.
Currently out with a muscle injury, Romagnoli is otherwise a regular fixture in the starting eleven under Gennaro Gattuso and has been handed the captain’s armband by the manager, despite the team having experienced players in other areas.
Mourinho’s problem for leadership and playing out from the back could be solved by Alessio Romagnoli, who is also a very vocal player on the pitch, something that the current United side perhaps needs. AC Milan will not want to part ways with Romagnoli, though.
But, the Rossoneri will be aware they have a tough proposition at hand, the proposition of retaining Romagnoli amidst interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.
